McDonald's

While the adjacent Pizza Hut and Hardee's have since re-opened following the recent Tahrir clashes, McDonald's restaurant on Mohamed Mahmoud St. remains closed. As I passed it today, workers were giving the exterior a fresh coat of paint and getting rid of any traces of street art. While there were no murals on facade, there certainly was spray-paint.

Despite the prospect of new spray-paint and more shattered-windows, the restaurants and storefronts on and around Midan Tahrir consistently cleanup, and cover-up any traces of violence, as soon as it is safe to do so. In contrast when I visited the famed Cafe Leopold in Mumbai months after the 26/11 attacks of 2008, there were still bullet holes visible in the Cafe windows. And it turns out that they're still there.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2669147.ece

While shattered clash should certainly be swept away, what about bullet holes and graffiti? It is itself evidence, isn't it best to let it remain and serve as a reminder? I think it adds a sense of character and authenticity.

But I suppose McDonald's has never been concerned with that.

Transparent Faces

I took these photographs last weekend. While the Wall remains on Mohamed Mahmoud Street, passer-bys are now able to walk up to the wall (or close to it at least, young revolutionaries still stand guard in huddles). Previously there had been a no-go zone complete with barbed-wire and looted Cairo police traffic-barriers and enforced by young revolutionaries. This was the first time I had walked the length of Mohamed Mahmoud Street since the outbreak of the recent clashes. I am quite familiar with the street-- it is the location of the AUC bus-stop-- and was pleasantly surprised to see that most of the street art remained untouched; I wasn't sure if I would find the walls blackened from ash.

The mural depicts those living martyrs who lost their eyes during the recent clashes. All of the faces in the mural were transparent-- their skin was the wall itself. Are the living martyrs a reflection of the street or the realization of it?

One living martyr's face was partially composed of a campaign poster.

Today concluded the second day of the run-off polls in the first round of voting for the Maglis Al Sha'ab (there are three rounds of polls for the lower house of parliament, there will be an additional three round of polls for the upper house early next year). Run-off polls were only in those districts in which an individual candidate (whether in the professional or worker/ farmer category) didn't achieve more than 50% of the vote in the initial poll- thus there were only either two or four candidates on the ballot. There were no run-off polls for the party/alliance-lists.

Voter turn-out is visibly remarkably lower than in last week's election- there is not as much excitement as there was a week ago- it appears the novelty has already worn off for some. There were hardly any lines and also hardly any Muslim Brotherhood volunteers- although the latter perhaps because they had been so helpful before.

http://www.thedailynewsegypt.com/egypt-elections-2011/lower-voter-turnout-in-second-day-of-elections-run-offs-dp3.html

I had one friend who went to the poll and "voted," but in reality scratched his ballot. Unlike his Aunt, he didn't vote because of the alleged 500 pound (100 US dollar) fine- He voted to be a part of the process, yet scratched because he didn't like his options (The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom & Justice Party or the Salafi Nour Party).

Whoever wins and whenever they actually take their seat (Parliament supposedly opens in March 2012), I sincerely hope they don't forget about these martyrs and their families. They are the veterans of a war fought too close to home.

(Mock) Coffins

20 mock coffins bearing the names of those martyrs who died in the recent clashes are in front of the Maglis Al-Sha'ab. Carrying mock-coffins during demonstrations is not uncommon.

http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/531796

Translation: "Egypt's rights= Martyr's rights"

While Midan Tahrir remains occupied and closed to vehicles, many of the activists have moved to the street in front of the Maglis Al Sha'ab. The street itself isn't a major street and has been closed off by the Central Security Forces many times this fall, but it's occupation nevertheless represents a traffic disruption.

The mood in front of the Maglis Al Sha'ab is different from that in Midan Tahrir-- there are no food vendors in front of the Maglis and no one is selling 25 January t-shirts. The mood is somber and serious, this is not a place to bring a date for popcorn or play a pick-up game of football (as Tahrir has become for some). There is a sense of urgency and attentiveness in the air as activists hand-out flyers detailing their movement's latest demands or George Ishak, who founded the protest movement Kefaya in 2004, speaks to a gathering of people. My friend and I stopped by to listen as an activist started playing a oud (an Egyptian lute). Others began singing and suddenly the circle drew larger; the soft melody bathed the scene in a rosy glow not penetrable by the glares of the army. As the lead office sat down to drink his chai, he appeared calm and I could have sworn I saw one of the younger officer's singing along.

The Martyr

Translation (partly obstructed by the tree):

Martyr

Tarek Abdel Latif

32 years-old, engineer

In light of last Friday's demonstration to honor the martyrs of the recent clashes, this weekend I went in search of another mural in the Martyr Mural Series by the street artist Ganzeer.

This mural is located in El Gezira, near the 6th of October Bridge. It was painted on April 16th, 2011.

The Berlin Wall

I wrote earlier about the wall on Mohdamed Mahmoud St. As I passed the wall today, I found that there were now many pieces of street art on it, not merely the words "Freedom is coming forever." I previously speculated that the existence of one piece of street art on the wall signaled a sense of unity among the protesters. What does the current state of the wall symbolize?

Will this wall soon look like the Berlin Wall? The inside of the Berlin Wall (the side which faced West Germany) was covered in street art, the outside of the Berlin Wall (which faced Eastern Germany) was white. Is there street art on the other side of this wall? I am not able to see it because of the military presence, but I have a guess.

Signs

In addition to street art, Cairo is filled with signs, posters, and stickers.

Posters of political candidates plastered to the wall.

Signs of political candidates hanging from a building or signs strung to the fence of the Maglis Al-Sha'ab demanding the downfall of military rule.

And bumper stickers, not placed on cars, but instead stuck to walls or articles of clothing during demonstrations.

I chose to cover only street art in this blog. I am fully aware that other forms of expression exist on the streets of Cairo, I walk past them every single day. I am, however, a student and do not have the time to thoroughly document everything that I see. While I am not vain enough to think that I can photograph every piece of street art while I am in Cairo, I want to at least give myself a chance.

In high school, I took pictures of the street art in Baltimore for my senior project. (I also kept a blog, here is the link: http://justanothersundaystroll.blogspot.com/). Street art knows no boundaries it is a universal language. Unlike signs, posters or stickers, you can't fold it into your pocket and take it home as a souvenir.

I am putting these photographs of signs on my blog now because the signs themselves have been spray-paint on. The word "القصاص" (retribution) has begun appearing on banners in and around Midan Tahrir.

Translation: "The people want the downfall of military rule immediately and not to raid the Interior Ministry."

This sign is located on the fence of the Maglis Al-Sha'ab. The word "القصاص" is spray-painted on the bottom right hand of the banner.

Eyes

Can this be called street art? Or is it vandalism.

This is one of four lions on the Qasr Al-Aini bridge connecting El Gezira (an island in the middle of the nile) and downtown.

This is a statue of Shiek Omar Makaram in front of the Omar Makram mosque in Midan Tahrir.

Demonstrators marched this Friday to Midan Tahrir in order to honor the Marytrs of the recent clashes. Some wore patches over their eyes in solidarity with those who lost their eyes from rubber bullets in the recent clashes.

http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/530191

The loss of eyes was particularly noteworthy in the recent clashes. Ahmed Harara is a lauded figure: he lost one eye during the 25 January Revolution and his second eye during the recent clashes.

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/11/28/179668.html

Below is a stencil of Ahmed Harara taken in front of the Maglis Al Sha'ab earlier this week.

In place of his right eye, 19 November

in place of his left eye, 25 January